Longtime harness racing industry participant Gail MacAvoy of Cameron Lake, N.S. passed away surrounded by loved ones, on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Hants Community Hospital at the age of 80. Gail was born in Buffalo, N.Y. on April 18, 1944 and grew up between there, Shannon Park in Dartmouth and Ajax, Ont. before putting down roots and raising her four boys with Frank MacAvoy on Cameron Lake.
Gail was predeceased by her loving stepfather, Kenneth McDonald; her mother, Thelena May McDonald; paternal father, Clifford Reid; sister, Wendy McDonald and her dearly missed son, Jason MacAvoy.
She was a beautiful person inside and out. A beloved mother and grandmother, she always had wise words to share and loved philosophical conversations about the world at large. She was an intellectual at heart, a deep thinker who was interested in the curiosities of life. Gardening, her family and views of Cameron Lake filled her days with joy. She always told her grandchildren one of the most important things in life is to “always make sure you have a room with a view.”
A mother of four sons, Gail was a force of nature - in her 30s she began working at Sackville Downs harness racing track while pregnant with her youngest son, Robbie. She would go on to manage Sackville Downs, then Truro Raceway, Fredericton Raceway, Exhibition Park Raceway and finally Charlottetown Driving Park, thus, completing an illustrious career in a male-dominated industry. Following her career in harness racing Gail went on to work at Exit Realty in Sackville. She was also a small business owner, with her store called Sweet Charlotte’s in the town of Windsor in the mid 1980’s.
Gail was the best mother and grandmother one could hope for. Her memory will be forever cherished by her sons, Carey Murphy, Steven Murphy and Robbie MacAvoy; their dad, Frank MacAvoy; daughters-in-law, Lisa Drader-Murphy, Lesley Murphy, Lisa MacAvoy and Deanna Frankton; grandchildren, Samuel Drader, Sarah Murphy, Luca Pelliccetti, Garrett Murphy, Amanda MacAvoy, Dane MacAvoy, Maddy Bruhm, Morgan Bruhm and Marina MacAvoy; brothers, Steve and Dean McDonald; sister-in-law, Sharon McDonald; nieces, Kryss McDonald, Terri Oliver, Maria McDonald; nephews, Mike McDonald, Steven Oliver as well as, her dear aunt, Heather Gurniak.
The family would like to express thanks to the doctors and nurses at Hants Community Hospital for their compassionate and attentive care.
Arrangements for cremation have been entrusted to DeMont Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 419 Albert St., Windsor (902-798-8317). A Celebration of Life will be held 1 – 4 p.m., Sunday, September 22, at 1901 Highway 1, Falmouth. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Gail may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Nova Scotia, 112-2719 Gladstone St., Halifax, NS B3K 4W6. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting demontfamilyfuneralhome.ca.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Gail MacAvoy.